The beginning of the tragedy

Rong Ji's letter arrived at the Mo residence in exactly twenty days, neither too fast nor too slow. Li Lingyan, holding the letter, sneered, "I've endured so many years of hardship and bide my time at the Mo residence; I've finally waited for this day." He then told his servant, "Summon Fu Ming'an; I need to speak with him." The Fu family had been loyal to the imperial family since the previous dynasty, with over a dozen generations of loyal ministers. Fu Ming'an was the nineteenth generation. When Emperor Yun fled north, the Fu family escorted Li Lingyan to the Mo residence, saving his life. After settling in the Mo residence, Li Lingyan didn't forget their kindness, bestowing high-ranking official positions and status upon the Fu family, and showing great respect to Fu Ming'an's father. "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well," Fu Ming'an knelt in the center of the hall, bowing and awaiting Li Lingyan's instructions. "Minister Fu, what are your thoughts on this trip to Yan Yun?" He then handed Rong Ji's letter to Fu Ming'an.

"To Your Majesty, after more than twenty years in the south, the opportunity has finally arrived. Emperor Yun has an eldest daughter named Wuyou, whom he dotes on immensely. Although the Crown Prince is talented, he is not given important responsibilities. If you wish for Yun Heng to succeed to the throne, you must eliminate the Crown Prince. If necessary, you can seize leverage over the eldest daughter. If you wish to kill two birds with one stone, Your Majesty must arrange for an envoy to come to the palace for a private discussion with me." Fu Ming'an folded the letter and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "I believe we should do as you suggest. If Your Majesty does not trust me, you may send your personal guards with you." Li Lingyan looked down at the letter, unsure how to respond. "I have always trusted the Fu family, but without a plan, how should we proceed?"

"Your Majesty need not worry about that. Give me a thousand elite soldiers, a hundred taels of gold, and several thousand tents. Since this is an envoy mission, we should make sure it's all done properly." Hearing Fu Ming'an's words, Li Lingyan nodded. "Alright, I'll listen to you, Fu Qing. You can choose the elite soldiers yourself, and I'll go and issue the decree to prepare the rest now. Li Linglan hasn't returned yet, so you need to hurry. It's best not to confront Li Linglan; he's... extremely cunning." Fu Ming'an was still young and hadn't experienced the events of thirty years ago. He had only heard bits and pieces of talk from his clan elder. He didn't have any particular feelings about Li Linglan, but he was very interested in Su Zili. Why did he stop halfway when he could have unified Da Ruan by heading north? Although puzzled, it didn't matter. Fu Ming'an had already planned for this trip. Although he had just said he would discuss it with Rong Ji, Fu Ming'an preferred to use his own method, which might be somewhat risky, but the effect would be fatal. The Fu family had previously planted many spies in Xiling. Although only Rong Ji had infiltrated Emperor Yun's inner circle, through years of secret observation, they had learned a lot about most of the spies mixed in with the crowd. For example, regarding the matter between Emperor Yun and Su Zili and the late Empress, although Fu Ming'an was not directly involved and didn't know much, the only thing he was certain of was that Li Wuyou was very important to Li Linglan. Rong Ji had also confirmed this in a letter. If they were to start with Li Wuyou, they had to strike at her sore spot. He remembered that the informant had said that although Li Wuyou was a princess, she had always had someone she loved. This person was neither a wealthy young master nor a king or general, but just a minor civil official from a fallen family. If that were truly the case, Fu Ming'an's lips curled into a slight smile. He seemed to have some plans in mind. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that can lead to victory, but it still requires Your Majesty's approval." Li Lingyan, seeing Fu Ming'an's confident demeanor, couldn't help but relax slightly. "Speak," he replied, "and as long as I can do it, I will naturally approve it."

"Your Majesty, I wish to use the Crown Prince's name to propose marriage to Yan Yun," Li Lingyan said, his brow furrowing. "Do you know what you're saying? What is the Crown Prince's status? Once Yan Yun is unified, he will be the future ruler of Da Ruan. Why would you propose marriage to an enemy state for this?" The current Crown Prince of Pu Yuan is the son of Li Lingyan and the Empress. The Empress comes from a prominent family in Pu Yuan and is the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family, so the Crown Prince is greatly favored. Li Lingyan is naturally displeased. Seeing Li Lingyan's anger, Fu Ming'an remained calm and explained, "It has been over thirty years since Da Ruan split into Pu Yuan and Yan Yun. Your Majesty can be said to have been in Pu Yuan..." "He endured hardship and humiliation every day, striving to rebuild his military might. Before conquering the Great Ruan, not a single day went by without his hatred for Emperor Yun, did it?" Seeing Li Lingyan's expression soften, Fu Ming'an continued, "His Majesty's goal in unifying the Great Ruan is not only to avenge the usurpation of the throne, but also to put the Li family's legitimate lineage back on track. The Crown Prince is now an adult. As the future monarch, if he cannot share the hardships and burdens with his father and shoulder the responsibilities of governance, how can he establish authority among the people?" Li Lingyan found some merit in this, and his expression softened. "Then... you just mentioned a marriage alliance, do you have any good suggestions?"

"I believe the purpose is not the marriage alliance, but to force Li Yunrui to take action. Your Majesty surely knows better than I how Emperor Yun established Yan Yun. The reason he is wary of his son is simply because he fears he will follow the same path as Emperor Jinglian. If we go for the marriage alliance, Emperor Yun will not be in Xiling, and how can the Crown Prince make decisions for the princess..." Fu Ming'an stopped there, but Li Lingyan roughly understood his meaning. He nodded. "It's a good idea, but how confident are you? Since my crushing defeat at Muxi, I have held sway over the Mo family for over thirty years. I have sent out so many spies, all for the sake of achieving a decisive victory this time. Emperor Yun is old, and so am I. We can't wait any longer."

"Your Majesty can rest assured about this matter. I will do my utmost, even unto death," Fu Ming'an replied. Li Lingyan had no doubt about the Fu family's loyalty. He simply rose and helped Fu Ming'an up, instructing him, "I know the Fu family has a long tradition of loyalty. Be careful on your journey to Yanyun. Li Linglan is no pushover. I entrust Da Ruan's future to you." "Your Majesty, I obey!" Fu Ming'an knew that Xiling was heavily guarded, making it difficult to enter the palace to meet with Rong Ji and discuss matters. However, in order to coordinate from within and without, Fu Ming'an had no choice but to propose again, "Your Majesty, I have another matter to discuss. I humbly request that Your Majesty write a letter to Miss Rong Ji. This will allow for a coordinated attack from within and without, achieving twice the result with half the effort."

As for writing a letter, Li Lingyan was naturally indifferent; as long as it succeeded, nothing else mattered. Because time was tight, Fu Ming'an needed to enter Xiling before the Emperor Yun returned, so he sent a messenger with a letter to Rong Ji, instructing her to secretly provide support and act according to circumstances. Another letter was sent to Li Yunrui at the Xiling Palace: "Since its crushing defeat at the Battle of Muxi, Pu Yuan has been a vassal of Yan and Yun for decades. Now, to deepen relations between the two countries, a special delegation has been dispatched to offer greetings, presenting hundreds of taels of gold and silver, a hundred bolts of silk and satin, fifty each of walnuts and ginseng, a pair of Suzhou glazed pagodas, a painting of a fairy maiden sending the wind, and more than ten Ferghana horses..."

Li Yunrui nodded, looking at the lengthy list of over ten pages in his hand. "Pu Yuan has been eyeing our northern Yan Yun for so many years, yet now they've taken the initiative to seek peace, and the tribute they've sent seems quite sincere. If they truly intend to befriend us, Yan Yun will naturally not mistreat our neighboring delegation. Issue an order to the pawnshops and the Ministry of Rites to prepare. Before Pu Yuan's delegation arrives, I want to see our tribute list." Li Yunrui knew his opportunity had arrived. As the Crown Prince, he naturally knew how Pu Yuan came to be. The friction and stalemate between the two countries couldn't be resolved overnight, but now that Pu Yuan was bowing its head in goodwill, it was naturally a good thing for Li Yunrui. Relations between the two countries had always been bad, and now things had turned around. If he handled this matter properly, wouldn't his father look at him more favorably in the future? To ensure a smooth conversation with Pu Yuan's envoy, Li Yunrui even summoned Zhang Ruoming. After listening to Li Yunrui's words, Zhang Ruoming pondered for a long time. "Elder Zhang... is there a problem? I know it's a bit early to take over the relationship between the two countries... but..." Seeing Zhang Ruoming remain silent, Li Yunrui, unsure if Zhang Ruoming had some misunderstanding, quickly explained. After all, Zhang Ruoming was a veteran minister who had served his father since before the founding of Yan Yun, and reporting his actions to his father would indeed be counterproductive. "It's not about that, I understand your meaning, but I believe... Pu Yuan won't be on good terms with Yan Yun, and there must be something fishy about this delegation's entry into Yan Yun." Zhang Ruoming knew Li Lingyan all too well; though not particularly capable, he was certainly vengeful. "Your Highness is a learned man; I don't need to waste my breath explaining how Yan Yun came to be. Pu Yuan and Yan Yun have been at odds for a long time, due to historical reasons that haven't changed in over thirty years. Why would they offer tribute without any reason? Your Highness, wanting to achieve merit is a good thing, but you mustn't be too hasty." Li Yunrui looked at the list of tribute items on the table. "So, what you mean, Elder Zhang..."

"This old minister meant no harm, only wishing to urge Your Highness to be cautious. As for the matters the Ministry of Rites needs to prepare, this old minister will personally oversee their completion." Zhang Ruoming was a man of few desires, wishing he could simply shrug it off and avoid any further involvement. Seeing that Zhang Ruoming said nothing, Li Yunrui had no choice but to give up. However, regarding Pu Yuan, he did indeed need to carefully consider the matter. Although nothing that needed to be prepared could be omitted, one could not be too careful. He had been too eager to gain merit and had been blinded by joy; now, thinking back, Zhang Ruoming's words were indeed very reasonable. Li Yunrui cupped his hands in greeting, "Elder Zhang, I have learned much today."

Zhang Ruoming immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "You are the Crown Prince. This old minister is only doing my best. You don't need to do this."

Zhang Ruoming was also eager to return home. Li Yunrui asked him several questions, which Zhang Ruoming dodged with a flourish. Seeing that Zhang Ruoming's mind wasn't on the matter, Li Yunrui didn't press him further, given his seniority, and let him go. After leaving, Zhang Ruoming didn't rush home. He dismissed the servants and knocked on the Tang residence's door. Qin Jiujiu wasn't surprised to see Zhang Ruoming. Since Tang Feng left, Zhang Ruoming had frequently visited Old Master Tang, chatting about everyday matters. Qin Jiujiu smiled slightly and said sweetly, "It's Uncle Zhang! Please come in. My godfather is having tea in the courtyard; I'll take you there."

"Oh, no need, no need. I know where he is with my eyes closed, so don't bother." Seeing Zhang Ruoming's refusal, Qin Jiujiu didn't say anything more and took a few steps back to make way for Zhang Ruoming. These past few days, Emperor Yun had been away, and the officials hadn't been attending court much. Tang Zhaonan was also bored at home. He was drinking tea when he heard footsteps behind him. Thinking it was Qin Jiujiu, he said, "Jiujiu, pour me some tea! This is the fourth pot; it's already tasteless." But he was patted hard on the shoulder, which startled him. "You're at home drinking tea with a daughter serving you. You're living a comfortable life, aren't you?" Tang Zhaonan turned around and saw Zhang Ruoming standing behind him. He glanced at her and sighed, "I'm telling you, how old are you? Still putting on this show."